Raise me up
by prouvairing
Summary: Sometimes it's hard to be born in such famous families. Especially when they're so large, loud, and unconventional. But, you see, at least with such big and loving families it's very hard to feel alone. -Kataang, Maiko, Sukka babies. Oneshot series.
1. The Evil Eye

**A/N: **So, I finally came around to start posting this shiz. It's going to be a drabble-like one shot series, and I hope the type of writing doesn't confuse anyone XD  
It's something I used to do a lot in the past and then gradually abandoned for a while. But enough of that.

When I started getting into Avatar, I promised myself I wouldn't write about the Next Generation. I always end up doing that, it seems.

Well, I miserably failed, as you can see. In my defense, it's all Korra's fault.

This will become _so_ AU after ATLOK airs, but I just can't help myself. You get what comes of it. I have a couple chapters ready, so the updates should be fairly close to each other, in the beginning. Can't say about the future, though.

We start with Maiko spawn. What a shocker.

**Disclaimer: **No, I don't own Avatar. Thanks for reminding me my miserable state.

* * *

_You raise me up,  
So I can stand on mountains  
You raise me up,  
To walk on stormy seas  
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders  
You raise me up  
To more than I can be_

* * *

**The Evil Eye.**

_I'm not evil._

Ami's bright eyes pierce through the back of the Earth Kingdom princess. Her thin eyebrows are frowning, her mouth half-open, in a mute scream of surprise.

Her childish mind cannot grasp the thought, like her little hands are clutching the deep red fabric of her dress.

_Am I evil?_

Tears of frustration pool in her golden eyes, sparkling, but never streaming down. She bites her lower lip and scowls at the retreating figure dressed in pretty green silk.

She's so angry she thinks about how sweet it would be to light that cute little dress on fire. She'd only need to flick a wrist.

_You're not evil._

A warm hand is on her shoulder before she can as much as rise her arm. She looks up and meets a serious gaze, two amber eyes on a pale, noble face. Roku, her brother, is observing the other girl with bored disdain. He looks at Ami and there's a small smile playing at the corner of his lips; the knowing, sarcastic smile Roku wears so often.

_We're not evil._

Roku can see the anger evaporating from his sister's eyes. She just scoffs a little, sparing her rival one last glare, before turning around and smiling at her brother.

The sun shines upon them, as they retreat into the Palace, leaving the Earth Kingdom girl to her lowly games. What does she know anyway? Nothing.

Roku does. He knows why he was named after no ancient Firelord, and yet indeed after one of his ancestors. He carries his name and the name of his family with pride.

He knows.

_I'm not evil.  


* * *

_

_"I won't play with you. You're Fire Nation. Nana says all Fire Nation is evil."_

_

* * *

_

**A/N cont'd: **I bet you can guess where Roku's name comes from, don't you?**  
**

Ami's full name is Amira, which means 'princess'. I found it fitting... Plus I bet you can see the extremely lame pun left there in her nickname. If you don't: it's best that way.

Reviews are very much appreciated. I don't bite, promise ;)  
Song is "You raise me up" by Celtic Woman... And if you don't tearbend a little while listening to it, I don't know how you do it ;_;


	2. Legacy: The Price to Pay

**A/N: **I won't hide from you that I'm a little saddened by the lack of attention this fic is receiving. BUT. You know, I'm not the type to leave something unfinished, or to give up so easily.

So, here we are with the second chapter, regardless of the lack of comments. And here we begin with the ton of Cloudbabies I have prepared. It started as a single shot and then became a mini-series inside the series. Here you go ~

* * *

**Legacy**

**-1-**

_The Price to Pay.  
_

Somehow she rarely thought about what the world expected from them. Maybe she'd been sheltered; maybe her loving parents had kept her from hearing how the people all wanted them to grow and be great, to bring back thousands of lives and thousands of traditions.

Nene had never thought about it until she'd reached her thirteenth year and had become a Master Airbender.

_Does it hurt?_

She sat on the table, with her feet dangling in the air, watching the graceful arrows tracing her legs. She loved how the sky blue contrasted with her tanned skin.

Nene looked up, through the messy locks of dark hair that had grown in the months passed since she'd received her tattoos. They barely reached her chin, now.

Eyes as blue as the morning sky looked at her frowning, her answer as dear to them as oxygen. Tenzin's whole body was tense as he waited for his older sister's words.

_Yeah._

Tenzin's lip barely twitched downwards as he let out a shaky breath and voiced his resignation. He thought she would say that. Nene chuckled.

Is it worth it?

She reached out to run a hand through her brother's thick black hair. It wasn't thin and straight like hers. It was wavy, like the ocean (only a thousand shades darker) and curling softly around his ears. Nene smiled her sweet, comforting smile. Their mother's smile.

_Yeah.  


* * *

_

_"Nene, can I ask you a question?"_

* * *

**A/N cont'd: **Tenzin is the Canon son of Aang and Katara. Don't you just love to say that? I do.

Nene is my invention, though: her name is Japanese for 'peaceful; tranquil; calm'… Which is pretty much her character ;)

She's the eldest of the Kataang children, while Tenzin is the second-born.

But enough information. And just remember that every time you review, you save a flying bison from the circus. Just sayin'.


	3. Legacy: The Awakening

**A/N: **I kind of feel like my Muse is abandoning me, lately... Oh, it will pass, it always does. In the meantime I can always keep shooting out the shots for this series, in hope it'll get more reviews. Anyhow, there's been for Favorites and hits, so I just want to say thank you, to all of you!  
BUT, just know a little review could really lift my spirits. In this regard, a special thank you to the folks who _did_ review, especially to **Somariel**... I'm starting to think you saw another pun in that name, because I didn't feel like it was _that_ clever XD Anyway, thankies ;)

Oh, and it's Nene and Tenzin, again... Why, these two certainly like the spotlight.

* * *

**-2-**

_The Awakening._

The walls of the library are impossibly high, but Tenzin needs nothing more than a jump and up he is, in the air. Dust twirls around him as he reaches the higher shelves, the ones that have been barely touched for years.

He runs through the titles, picking up the ones that tickle his imagination and then brings them down to where his sister is sitting.

They've been running through the thousands of books that make up the Eastern Air Temple library for most of the afternoon. There's everything they could possibly imagine: History, old Air Nomad folk tales, music books full of lost Airbender songs, guides on the flying bison care and habits, on how to grow airplums, how to bake the famous fruit pies… and thousands and thousands of Airbending scrolls.

_It's almost too much…_

Nene's clear grey eyes are wide as she reads of Avatar Yangchen, of her childhood at the Western Air Temple and of her travels around the world. She already feels ready to grab her glider and fly away, the calling of her blood pumping hard through her veins.

Tenzin flips through the old traditions and scratches his newly bald head pensively. He grins at some wicked trick he wants to try so bad and he has sparkles in his eyes when he gets to the legends. He reads about the first Airbender and the Flying Bison, the tale of Feng the monk and how he challenged the Spirit of the Wind, the endless fairytalesand the storiestelling about the Avatars' legacy through the Air Nomads.

And he wonders.

Will he be in these books one day? Will some young Airbender ever read of Tenzin, the son of the Avatar, and how he and his siblings brought their people back to life? A wild grin stretches through his features.

_There is everything here!_

Aang finds them curled up among the old parchments: Nene's head is resting on her brother's legs and Tenzin is drooling all over some vegetarian cookbook. They're fast asleep, but they still clutch to the books containing the culture of the Air Nomads.

The Avatar is smiling his broad, warm smile, as he gently puts the papers in their places and tiptoes out to get blankets and pillows, silently regretting the days when he was be able to scoop them both up and tuck them to bed.

Nene and Tenzin keep sleeping, surrounded by the memories of their people. Around them, the library awakens.

* * *

"_Can you believe it, Tenzin?_

_All of this –it is ours."_


	4. Legacy: The Descent from Heaven

**A/N: **Ah, here I am again. We're almos to the end of the small 'Legacy' mini-series, but not quite. In the meantime, we leave Nene and Tenzin alone and go see what's happening outside their dusty library.  
Those of you who read my shot '_Bedtime'_ might recognize Jing. And I finally have the chance to introduce his twin brother: Shen.  
I have some other things I want to say, but I'll keep them for later ;)

* * *

**-3-**

_The Descent from Heaven._

It's a game, to them.

Jing stands by his side, that wicked grin of his lighting up his features, as he looks down, over the edge of the cliff. The waves crash and roar under them, sea foam sparkling in the crisp morning air.

Shen takes a deep breath, enjoying the smell of salt and sand coming up from where the land meets the sea.

_It would be so easy to fall._

His twin's words still ring in his ears as he turns around to return the grin, mischief twinkling in his eyes as grey as the morning fog.

Shen thinks of how many people this cliff has seen, of how many young monks jumped down, down, down, to the wet rocks below. He thinks of how many of them then soared and flew.

He feels the wind, he feels the waves, he feels the wood of his glider and it is smooth beneath his fingers. Jing taps his on the ground and its wings snap open, yellow as the color of dead leaves. He raises one eyebrow in a silent challenge. Is he ready?

_It'd be just as easy to fly, you know._

Shen opens his glider and the autumn-red fabric shines as the sun's light pierces it. He extends one hand and he feels Jing's fingers intertwining with his.

And they jump.

The wind blows past their ears, filled with its mighty roar, and their bellies burn with fear and adrenaline. They don't need books to know how their ancestors have been doing this for centuries before their birth. Their spirits soar in the deadly dance that's natural to them as breathing. Hand in hand, they fall down.

And then they suddenly shoot for the sky.

* * *

"_Just leave those two to their reading, Shen._

_I've got something way better to show you."  


* * *

_

**A/N: **On the twins' names:  
It's Shen and Jing, written as 'spirit' and 'energy', respectively. They just seemed fitting, and sounded cool enough ;)  
Also, I recently found out that Nene can be a nickname from 'nee-chan', which is 'older sister' in Japanese (it's used for the Genderbent version of China in the Hetalia Fandom). Wow, I must say I choose this name rather randomly, and it becomes more and more fitting as I find out more things about it! Really.  
I just want to thank everyone who read or put this story on favorites, with special thanks to **arizony **for his amazing review. It helped make my day and gave me enough guts to post this fourth chapter. So, thank you for your kind words :)  
Until next time ~


	5. Legacy: The Waterfall

**A/N: **Oh, this did take a little longer to post. Forgive me: I had serious computer problems... As in, my mother completely killed my laptop. Fun. All my documents might be lost, which pains me to no end, because I had a lot of written stuff I was working on that I really, really cared about.  
The rest of the _Raise me Up_ one shots was savable, though... Since I'd already emailed it to my best friend. No worries there.

On the chapter: it's the last one of the Legacy mini-series... Featuring my very last Cloudbaby, Kya. And she's... A little different, shall we say.

* * *

**-…4-**

_The Waterfall._

_Breathe._

The water lapped at her pale legs, the sun shone brightly over her head and the only sounds where the song of the waterfall raining down on the rocks and the chirping of birds.

The birds… They crowded the tree over her head, sometimes gliding over the pond and diving in to bathe.

Kya looked at them as they shook their tiny heads, sending little drops of water flying in every direction.

She raised one hand and smiled as the drops froze in the air, sparkling in the midday sun.

She jumped in the pond, but the birds didn't seem to notice her. They weren't even scared when she swam a little closer, her long dark hair floating in the liquid like strange algae.

Bright blue eyes stared into shiny black ones.

_Hello, brother._

Kya grinned again as the bird flew away in a flutter of wings and splashing of pond water.

She suddenly turned her head as excited cries broke the silence.

They came from far away and spoke of adrenaline and joy. She shook her head with a chuckle. Shen and Jing must have gone sky-diving again. And she could bet Nene and Tenzin were drowning in dusty scrolls… _Again._

_Well, what about me?_

She was different, and that sometimes left her alone. But she didn't mind. Actually, being the youngest of five could be pretty hard, when all four older siblings ganged up to 'keep her company' or 'protect her'.

Kya scoffed. As if she needed to be protected.

She flailed her arms and the water responded to her command, shooting up and around in wide circles. The birds were sent in an excited fit as their peaceful bath was interrupted. They flew away at once, sending scared cries across the meadow.

Kya giggled.

_Sorry, brothers._

She let the water fall and then let herself float peacefully on her back, the water gently lapping at her once again.

After a while, the birds came back.

* * *

"_You'll never really leave me, will you?"_

* * *

**A/N cont'd**: Here you go, guys. Yes, Kya's a Waterbender -the only one_. _And that is exactly why she's the one named after her grandmother... instead of Nene. That and... Well, other stuff. You'll find out.

That said, I once again want to take a moment to thank a particular reviewer: **Patronus**, whose reviews (two of them, counting the one on my other one shot) completely made my day. The one on _Bedtime_ had me smiling particularly, since keeping the feel of reality and credibility is one of the things that concern me most when I'm writing. Thank you, darling :)

That is all -my best wishes 3

-TBO


	6. Forget

**A/N: **Well, hey there! Here's the first one not related to the _Legacy_ mini-series... For the chapter information: we have Nene and Roku again, and they are slightly older... Around fourteen, I'm thinking (yes, the two of them are the same age). Plus, two other characters make their first appearance... More on them later! ;)  
Also, this is where I start introducing a bit of shipping... And I still haven't decided if it's a good thing, or if it's just sad -sigh- I'll leave it to you.

* * *

**Forget.**

Nene is biting her lip.

He can't stop staring.

Her graceful fingers are nervously grabbing at her light blue dress, her dark brown hair framing her frowning face.

He can see that she's trying not to stare too openly at the dancing couple, but her grey eyes just keep darting in their direction and he can see the hurt expression she's trying to hide.

Roku can't help throwing his own glare at them.

Koda is hiding a blush, while being mindful of keeping his hands at a decent height on Leen's waist. The girl is smirking evilly at his nervousness, but the young prince can see the heat spreading on her cheeks as well.

_You should be happy._

He frowns and bites his lower lip, as he tries to look away.

Bad move. As soon as his eyes leave the dancing couple, they're on Nene again.

Nene that looks just lovely with her hair worn up like that, with her robe matching the color of her arrow-tattoos.

Nene that is frowning, right now.

_That can never make me happy._

And then Roku is walking towards her, wearing his best bored-and-nonchalant expression, and she's looking up at him. She hides her sorrow as soon as her grey eyes meet his amber ones.

Nene gives him her best smile and Roku is just about to stop dead on his tracks and turn around to run. But he musters up some courage… And asks.

_Do you want to dance?_

At his question, Nene looks surprised. He can see her shoot a nervous glance towards the dance floor.

But he opens his mouth to speak again, and his words regain her full attention. There's that small, knowing grin on his lips and a faint blush on his fair cheeks.

Nene beams and takes his hand.

* * *

"_Just forget about them."  


* * *

_

**A/N cont'd: **Say hello to Koda and Leen!  
Koda is Sokka and Suki's firstborn and he's the oldest of the bunch.His name, too, was chosen rather randomly, before I realized it might be a nickname for Hakoda, in honor (!) of his grandfather. Thus, that's what it became. Koda is seventeen in this story.

Leen is... Toph's daughter. Yes, maybe I've been a little Tokka-influenced, in pairing these two together. Sue me. In any case, I don't know if I want to reveal who her father is just yet. We'll see if you guys can guess ;)  
Her name is actually German and... A boy's name. Kind of typical Toph, right? It means 'strong as the lion'. She's fifteen in this.

Oh, yes... Nene has a little-big crush on her cousin. I have to say, this is taken (a little) from real life, since I, myself, harbored a secret crush on my cousin for quite some time. It passed quickly and never reached the angst-levels Nene's did, though. But yeah... It does happen.

**Patronus: **You don't know how happy you made me with your question ;) It's the kind I just _love _to answer.  
Anyhow, the way I see it... Ami has the _potential_ to go through the type of angst Zuko went through. She will have her moments in which she'll wonder '_I'm not evil, am I?'_ but... Given the time and environment she's growing up in, it won't be as big an issue as it was for Zuko.  
Plus, she has Roku. I see him as being a little more like Mai, while Ami is more like her father... And he's a much better brother than Azula was a sister. He'll be there for her :)  
But... She's always part of the Royal Fire Nation family. And they're just _made_ to wangst a little, arent't they? ;) 


	7. Forgive

**A/N:** Hello! Honestly, I'm way too tired to write both pre-and-post chapter notes, so this will be it.  
I think I will go on hiatus for a while, mostly to work on some other stuff that it's taking my time. And I'll leave this one alone for the time being... Though I'm pretty sure I'll pick it up again, at some point: I came to love these kids too much, and while maybe that's not a very good thing, I really can't help it ;)  
I'll try to bring it to an end before 2012, though, because I know that when Korra will air, I won't have much reason to go on anyway. Though I always loved AUs.

To answer **Patronus**, once again (o-em-gee, girl, I think I love you, really ;D): I'm really happy you like Roku and he got through exactly the way I wanted him to -a perfect mix of Mai and Zuko-... And yes, my poor girls will have their angst. But I won't be too cruel, don't worry ;)

Only new character that does a brief cameo here is Hana, Koda's sister. She's two years younger than her brother and a Waterbender.

* * *

**Forgive.  
**

Leen is sitting on a rock, eyes half-lidded, and she feels the steps of the kids vibrate through the cold stone, telling her all that she needs to know. Just like her mother taught her.

Still, her leaf-green eyes are open wide, and take in the vision of Hana and Kya engaged in a water-battle near the waterfall, as the others cheer them from the sidelines.

The twins are nowhere in sight –and that is always bad news- but she can see Tenzin and Ami sitting with their legs in the water and chatting happily, while Roku, beside them, is looking around, clearly searching for something –or s_omeone._

And then there's Koda.

Dark skin and ice-blue eyes that glisten like the South Pole's icebergs.

_Stop staring._

He's laughing at his sister, since she's getting her butt kicked by little Kya. Leen rolls her eyes at his antics.

He's not changed: he's always the same goofy, sarcastic and completely clumsy boy she's known all her life.

Then why does it feel all so different since they danced that night?

_You know, it's okay if you like him._

Leen turns around as the voice reaches her from behind, startling her. She has a moment to wonder _how_ she could miss anyone standing on earth near her. But then she sees Nene's kind grin.

Of course, an Airbender.

Nene sits beside her on the rock, looking out to the Waterbending battle in front of them. Her gaze is on Koda, though, and Leen can see her affectionate smile as the girl stares at her cousin.

_Just promise me something, okay?_

Nene's gaze is surprisingly hard now. Her gunmetal eyes pierce Leen's with a serious, solemn look that clashes with her round cheeks.

And after she has made her request, Leen's own eyes widen in surprise. Only when she agrees to promise, does Nene's expression soften. The younger girl smiles brightly and gets up. She says goodbye and flies down the rock, gracefully gliding over to where the others are playing.

Nene sits away from her cousin, on Roku's other side, and Leen sees the boy give her an unusually warm smile.

And just as the young Earthbender is shaking her head with an ironic grin, Koda looks up at her and their eyes meet.

She can't help but feel a warm sensation spread in her stomach as the boy smiles and calls out to her.

As she jumps down the rock and starts walking towards the group, it occurs to her that the smile on Koda's face is just the same smile Roku gave Nene a few seconds ago.

* * *

"_Promise me you'll both be happy._

_And you won't break his heart."_


End file.
